Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 280

[Storm Priest].

The effects of this skill can be largely divided into three:

1. Temporary Invincibility.

Until the skill gauge is fully charged, the caster becomes immune to damage. In some ways, it’s a high-value skill. Even though you can’t move in that state, invincibility is invincibility. In games, you could pull off amazing plays if you used it well.

2. Increased Defense Stats.

Once the casting is complete, the caster gains a massive boost to all defense stats. Combined with temporary invincibility, it’s definitely a top-tier survival skill.

But that’s not all.

3. Area of Effect Attack.

An area-of-effect attack is unleashed around the caster until the [Storm Priest] mode ends. The damage output is very high for what is considered a simple survival skill.

It’s like the best defense is a good offense.

“It’s coming soon.”

The moment I crouched, raising my shield to just below my eyes, the storm barrier around him slowly expanded, engulfing the entire sanctuary.

「100%.」

A change in effect that signifies the skill is fully charged.

Whooshhhhh-!

A fierce wind wraps around my entire body. It’s not so intense that I can’t see anything like when I entered the [Eye of the Storm], but…

「Your character is taking damage.」

「Your character is taking damage.」

「Your character is taking damag……」

「……」

As if blades were hidden within the raging wind, something like a white, shining dagger strikes my armor and body.

That’s why I sent my companions out first. It’s impossible to block this kind of area-of-effect attack with a shield.

Clack, clack, clack! Thwack!

Arms, back, shoulders, waist, thighs, calves. Impacts hit me simultaneously from all over, so much so that I couldn’t pinpoint any specific area. It felt like dozens of people were constantly throwing snowballs filled with rocks from all directions.

‘Hmm, yeah, that’s about right.’

Well, what are my physical and magic resistances for? It’s not a one-shot attack, so I hardly take any damage from this kind of stacking tick damage.

Then, what about Amelia? She probably doesn’t have as high physical resistance as I do…

‘What the heck, she is…’

Surprisingly, she was dodging each and every one of them.

Wow, what kind of agility stat do you need to have such dynamic vision and reflexes?

‘I told her to come because she said she could handle it, but she’s actually doing it.’

Ah, of course, I wasn’t jealous. Why would I be?

“You look busy.”

Amelia didn’t answer me. Is she telling me to focus instead of chatting?

[Krooooooo-!!]

Soon, the skinned monster with its arm cut off roared more menacingly than ever and charged at me. It’s the effect of the ‘Threat Value’ [a game mechanic that makes enemies target the player with the highest threat]. If a person had used that skill, they would have tried to take out Amelia over there first.

Thwack-!

No sooner had I blocked his massive body with my shield than I was pushed back. However, there’s bound to be an opening in such a large movement.

Stab-!

Amelia stabbed a dagger from behind. Thanks to the surge in defense stats, it didn’t pierce as deeply as before.

And…

‘He’s not even flinching now.’

Even after being stabbed, he swung his forepaw at me without a moment’s hesitation.

Whoosh-!

That’s the tricky part of the [Storm Priest] mode. As if proving the truth that the best offense is defense, increased defense stats are equivalent to increased attack power since you can focus all the time you would have spent on defense on attacking.

Taptap.

I quickly dodged to the side and created some distance. If it were a little earlier, it would have been the timing to use [Dragon Vein] or [Eye of the Storm]. This time, there was no need to worry about such follow-up attacks because this world is a ruthless place where you have to give up something to grasp something. There are penalties to [Storm Priest] as well.

[Krooo-!]

Yeah, scream. ‘You can’t use skills right now anyway.’ Skill usage is disabled. In this phase, Stormgush has to fight relying only on melee combat and that area-of-effect attack. The duration in the game is about 10 minutes.

‘If we can’t catch him within that time, let’s run without looking back.’ The raid fails as soon as skill usage becomes available. Not only will he start using all sorts of crazy skills again, but his injuries will also gradually heal once that mode ends. With only Amelia as the main damage dealer, the recovery speed will be faster than the damage dealt. Therefore…

「Your character has cast [Swing].」

I use skills without worrying about the remaining MP. I judged that even a normal attack wouldn’t be enough to distract him.

“Amelia!”

Whether we can catch him or not depends on how well the main damage dealer does.

“……Tsk.”

At my shout, Amelia clicked her tongue and swung her dagger again. Her expression clearly showed that she just wanted to kill time.

‘Tsk, that’s how the rich are.’ I just don’t understand. Whether they like it or not, they have to fight for 10 minutes, so why are they just trying to hold out? If we catch him, it’s a jackpot…

‘Ah, she wouldn’t get anything even if an essence came out.’ I understood why Amelia was showing a lack of enthusiasm. She probably has all her slots filled with essences anyway. But since the mage has already left, even if an essence comes out, we can’t put it in a test tube, and even if we could, it would be difficult for us to sell it and settle the accounts. She’s from Noark, after all. She probably hopes that we’ll never meet again after today.

“If we succeed in catching this guy, I won’t claim ownership of Belverson’s equipment!”

In that sense, I gave her a new motivation. But, what is this again?

“……Were you planning to claim ownership?”

Amelia says something innocent. No, then were you planning to eat it all by yourself? Even though you only appeared later and got the last hit?

“……Carmilla, you guys, and I were supposed to get his stuff, wasn’t that already agreed upon?”

Well, I heard that an agreement was made. But it wasn’t with me, was it?

“I don’t know anything about that!”

I shouted, dodging Stormgush’s claws, and Amelia quietly muttered.

“……I see.”

Somehow, I felt like I knew what she meant this time. She must have seen through my barbarian-style forced logic that would come later. Thanks to that, a little bit of enthusiasm appeared in her eyes. A very desirable situation as an employer.

Thud-!

And so, a more active engagement continued. I was already talking about the spoils and getting ahead of myself, but the possibility was, strictly speaking, fifty-fifty. Either we catch him within the time limit, or we fail to catch him and have to run away, bearing all the hardships and losses. It’s still hard to judge what the outcome will be. I just move my body diligently, hoping for the former.

“Behel—laaaaaaaa!!”

Sweat and blood droplets flow down my skin, but there’s no time to rest. The more I bother him, the more it will help Amelia, who is putting in damage while walking a tightrope.

Stab-!

His claw strikes my shoulder.

Clunk.

The breastplate, having lost its joint, shattered and fell to the floor.

‘Damn repair costs.’ My hands trembled, but I decided to think positively. Wasn’t the armor already completely wrecked? It wouldn’t have made a big difference in repair costs if I had dodged that just now…

“Amelia!”

Stormgush ignored me, who had fallen back, and swung his tail at Amelia.

Taptap.

Fortunately, she managed to dodge by quickly jumping upwards, but…

Stab-!

A dagger hidden in the storm slammed into Amelia’s body. It was nothing new. At first, she was watching and dodging each one, but as the battle continued, small and large injuries were accumulating on her body. But…

“Ugh.”

This one’s in a bad spot. It’s her thigh, of all places. Blood is flowing out of the pierced thigh area at an unbelievable rate, as if it hit a blood vessel. But the real problem is something else.

Taptap.

Amelia’s mobility has been compromised. ‘Damn it.’ As I feared, Amelia hasn’t been able to attack as aggressively as before since she got injured, and this resulted in a drop in DPS [Damage Per Second].

‘At this rate, we won’t be able to catch him.’ My mind is complicated. Should I change the strategy now? Should we just hold out and run away? No, then what about my repair costs? Who will compensate us for all the hardships we’ve endured? ‘……Let’s try a little more.’ I quickly finished my thoughts and made a decision. It’s clear that he’s cornered as much as our condition has worsened. His vitality is also almost at the bottom…

[Human.]

Then, he spoke for the first time. With eyes full of resentment.

[Humaaaaaaaan—!!!]

He said such a line. I was startled by that strange spirit. ‘This kind of line… No, was he even a monster that had lines in the first place?’ No matter how much I think about it, I don’t have such a memory. Then is it a change that occurred with the reality patch? Anyway, let’s think about that later. That’s not what’s important right now.

「Your character has deactivated [Giantification].」

「Your character has activated [Giantification].」

I quickly switched to Giantification (Normal) mode because you can’t use [Transcendence] while in Giantification (Transcendence).

「Your character has cast [Transcendence].」

It’s really a hair’s breadth difference. To make up for this difference, what’s needed now is damage, not tanking.

「The next skill you use will be enhanced.」

Of course, I don’t have many skills. Then, which one should I use? ‘Leap.’ This is not it for now. Unless I’m facing a ranged type with a paper body, I can’t reduce his health by even 1% with the ability to move quickly. ‘Swing.’ This is the same. Even if I turn on [Transcendence], only the range increases, not the damage itself. It’s meaningless. An essence that never existed in my training method. Yet, I happened to get it, and ridiculously, it has given me countless help in my journey so far.

「Your character has cast [Flesh Explosion].」

Yeah, maybe this one.

「The ability inherent in the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」

I cast the skill in advance and then jumped forward because this is not an instant skill anymore.

「It will explode after 3 seconds……」

3 seconds delay. But instead…

「Explosion damage is greatly increased.」

The damage increases. Unbelievably much. ‘Hmm, was it about 35 times, I think?’ I’ve only calculated it once or twice while researching [Transcendence], but I think my memory is correct. Even in [Dungeon & Stone], there weren’t many skills that increased damage this much. Ah, of course, the pure damage amount itself is low. It’s originally just for spraying [Acidic Fluid], and the explosive power itself is low. Even with 35 times, it’s difficult to reduce even 3% of a 3rd-grade monster’s health. Well, that’s enough for now, though.

Taptap.

I dashed forward once more and grabbed his neck with both arms, clinging to him. It’s called the Barbarian Suicide Bomber mode.

[Humaaaaaaaan-!!]

He roared, struggling to shake me off. Oh, I didn’t expect him to open his mouth on his own.

Swish.

I dropped the mace and quickly shoved my hand into his mouth.

Crunch-!

He immediately bit down with his thick teeth, crushing my hand as if to say, ‘Is this human crazy?’ But he was wrong about one thing. I’m a barbarian, not a human. ‘Yeah, anyway, time’s up.’ When I counted down the time limit in my head, an explosion occurred from the hand that was bitten by him. Although, there’s no fire that should accompany an explosion.

Thwackkkkkkkkk-!

Yeah, if this isn’t an explosion, then what is it?

***

The moment the explosion bloomed, my body floated in the air. It was that strong of an explosion. Thud-! Soon, my heavy body crashed to the floor, and I hurriedly raised my head and stared at the place where he had been. I had guessed it when I saw that the wind had subsided, but…

Whooshhhhh.

Stormgush’s body turned into a stream of light and scattered.

「You have defeated Stormgush +EXP 7」

Yeah, we caught him.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: First 3rd-grade monster kill.

Reward: Your mental stat permanently increases by +1.

Is it because I’ve been a barbarian for so long? I feel a sense of mental fulfillment from winning the battle. But unfortunately…

“……!!!”

That fulfillment didn’t last long because an indescribable pain covered my entire body. The cause was clear.

「All defense stats are temporarily sealed.」

The side effect of Flesh Explosion (Transcendence). Ha, I didn’t even think about the pain resistance disappearing. ‘Oh, sh…….’ It was the first time in a long time that I had experienced such vivid pain, and I couldn’t even scream, just opening and closing my mouth.

“Barbarian, are you okay?”

Amelia poked her head into my blurry vision. And…

“You’re lucky.”

She said something meaningful. It didn’t seem like she was just saying that because we survived and succeeded in defeating him. Ah, could it be…

“Es, sence…… is…….”

“Yeah, it came out.”

What, really? I raised my head a little more to check above. Then I saw a navy blue essence floating in the air. I guess I didn’t notice it because my eyes weren’t focused earlier… ‘……Hallelujah.’ I immediately crawled on all fours towards the essence. Pain surging from all over my body? What does that matter? Humans are beings who can be blinded by greed in any situation.

“……Wouldn’t it be better to get treatment first?”

Treatment can come later. It’s not the first time my arm has been wrecked.

“Essssence…….”

“Funny guy.”

I ignored Amelia’s words as if I hadn’t heard them and crawled towards the essence as if possessed.

「[Stormgush’s Essence] permeates your character’s soul.」

「Strength increases by +90.」

「Agility increases by +55.」

「Physical resistance increases by +75.」

「Natural regeneration increases by +50.」

「Lung capacity increases by +40.」

「Lightning resistance decreases by -30······.」

「…….」

A powerful force that seemed to surge from within my body. It was when I was enjoying that pleasant fullness.

“Then eat a potion now.”

Amelia opened her subspace bracelet. It was that moment. Whooshhhhh-! Brilliant light leaked out from the entrance of the subspace. Even to me, who is ignorant of magic, it was a strange thing. Even if you put something shining inside the subspace, such a thing wouldn’t happen. Then… what the heck is it?

“…….”

Amelia, who also felt the question, reached in and rummaged around. And she took out one item.

“Why is this here now…….”

It was a stone emitting pure white light.

***

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 6

Physical: 939.77(New +332.15) / Mental: 503.49(New +1.3) / Ability: 2,175.55(New -39)

Item Level: 4,627

Total Combat Index: 4,775.56(New +294.45)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3 / Manticore – Rank 5 / Bayon – Rank 3 / Stormgush – Rank 3(New)